This is a Busan Ex-Pat City Guide post. Check out the rest of my list here.
It’s quite easy to forget when you’re living in the industrialized, developed, modern city of Busan that South Korea as it exists today has not always looked this way. South Korea, as a nation is very young and the wounds from the Korean War are still pretty fresh.
Busan’s UN Memorial Cemetery is a solemn reminder of this fact. As the only one of its kind in the world, the UN Memorial Cemetery is a burial ground, paying tribute to the fallen servicewomen and men of the United Nations Command (UNC) during the Korean War.
Mary, Steph and I visited the cemetery on an overcast Saturday afternoon as a pitstop before our coastal walk at Igidae Park. The mood of the cemetery is pretty sombre. There certainly weren’t as many tourists snapping photographs of the grave sites as I’ve seen at other Busan tourist sites. The girls and I spent the majority of our time at the cemetery simply walking the rows of the burial sites, divided by nation, and paying our respects to the fallen service members.
I’m not a very patriotic person when it comes to Canada, but I did feel a sense of pride in seeing how much Canada assisted with the war efforts. 378 Canadians selflessly gave their lives during the Korean War, as members of the UNC. This number seemed quite large to me until we reached the UNMCK Wall of Remembrance. The 140 black marble panelled wall lists over 40,000 names of UNC service members, either killed or missing, during action. While Canada had about 4 panels, the United States casualties occupied the majority of the wall, upwards of 60 panels. Steph probably put it best: “You can read the figures of how many people died during the war, but it’s much more sobering when you see every name laid out on a sprawling marble wall.”
Apart from the main burial sites and Wall of Remembrance, there are memorials devoted to a number of the 16 countries involved in the UN’s war effort, including Britain, France, Australia, and Greece, two halls devoted to memorial services and memorabilia from the Korean War, and an interfaith chapel. There was actually a memorial service being held at the chapel as the girls and I were looping around to leave the park, so I got the impression that services happen daily.
While the UN Memorial Cemetery has a more grave and dignified atmosphere than other sights throughout the city, there is a lot of beauty to be found throughout the park. Upon entering, we were greeted by rows of neatly trimmed juniper trees. A little further, we came across a trio of beautiful cherry blossom trees. A group of ducks waddled past us after reaching the memorabilia display hall. Even though there is an overwhelming sense of sadness permeating throughout the grounds, it isn’t too hard to find beauty alongside history at Busan’s UN Memorial Cemetery.
Directions
To get to the UN Memorial Cemetery, take the Green Line on the Busan Subway (Line 2) to Daeyeon Station (stop 213). Go straight out exit 1, take your first right, and proceed straight for about 10 minutes. The UN Memorial Cemetery will be on your left. Entrance to the park is free.
Millennial Abroad 